DJ SHAAN answers our 8 burning questions

Not only is he the most followed DJ in India, DJ SHAAN was the first Indian artist to play at Tomorrowland in 2014, one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals in the world that is held in Belgium. That same year, he was also the first Indian to play The Box @ Ministry of Sound, London The Saturday Sessions.

The 22-year-old started his DJ/producer career at the age of 15 and debuted at Asias premier music festival, Sunburn Goa, in 2010. Since then, SHAAN has performed alongside the biggest names in the industry, including Avicii, Afrojack, David Guetta, Hardwell, Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Axwell and Kaskade, to name a few. Not only that, he has even collaborated with Sandra Silva, Steve Aoki and Lost Kings, his latest being with Jasbir Jassi.

We got in touch with the talented DJ to ask him eight burning questions about his life as a DJ artist.

How did you start out as a DJ in India? “To be honest, it started out as me being a curious kid at office parties. I was always intrigued by DJs and fascinated with what they did. We had a really old console at home. So one fine day, I fiddled around a little with it and enjoyed it so much I thought I’d take it up as a hobby and taught myself over the next few days via YouTube. I never thought I’d take up DJing as a career but it certainly did become more than a passion for me.”

Musically speaking, who are your inspirations? “A whole bunch of artists inspire me. I’m always in search of new music so a completely unknown artist could inspire me or even a musical drama like ‘The Greatest Showman’ inspires me. I think if I had to pinpoint it down to someone it would have to be Ed Sheeran, he effortlessly glides across all genres of music with his writing.”

Which was your most memorable gig? “It will always have to be my first main stage show at Sunburn in Goa 2014. The biggest reason for me was not the crowd but the four years of climbing up the ladder; from the bar stage to the big bad main stage. It was a proud moment for me.”

Who did you have most fun collaborating with? “My collaboration with Jasbir Jassi was the most fun. It was a real challenge for me to break my mould and try something that I’ve never done before.”

Who would be your dream collaboration with? “I’d say Imagine Dragons. I think the biggest reason is that the pure energy and soul of their music gives me chills every time I listen to their music.”

What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you while on tour? “I won’t lie, there’s nothing weird or embarrassing that has happened and I don’t want to jinx it! But I’d say that when your mic is on and you don’t realise and you are singing the lyrics for the world to hear on stage and your photographer comes and says, “Bro your mic is on!”, that’s pretty embarrassing.”

Any wise words for anyone who dreams of getting into this field? “Go all out, if it’s your dream and goal no one can stop you. Yes, it’s a tough industry, but create something that is you and be yourself. Be different and keep your eye on what you want. That is sure to catch our attention, trust me on this!”